Cleaning up after a large project can sometimes prove more daunting than the actual task. Starting properly can ensure an easy clean up, and make the process more enjoyable. Having the necessary cleaning products and tools is as important before starting the task as the paint and applicators. Few things can ruin a perfectly finished product like a gruesome clean up.

If drop cloths are properly laid before the start of the painting, this will assist with an easier clean up. This will protect floors and surfaces that are not to be painted from any drips, spills, or splatters. Remove all brushes, pans, paints, ladders, and other tools before pulling up the tarps. Dispose of the plastic floor covers in the proper waste receptacle. Painters’ tape and window covers can also be removed, and any drips on the windows can be scraped off with a razor.

To ensure a long life for your tools, they also must be cleaned properly. If latex paints were used, then the clean up process will be much easier as it is easily rinsed away with just water. You will want to clean your brushes and rollers promptly and thoroughly to maintain their usefulness. Not everyone chooses to wash a roller cover, as some see them as disposable. This is purely a personal preference. Roller covers will clean relatively easily and reuse very well.

Having some sort of high pressure hose or faucet will assist in the cleaning process. If you have a water sprayer, this will make cleaning ladders, risers, or scaffolding much easier. High pressure faucets will get the paint deep down in the brushes and roller covers. Make sure to clean the rollers, pans, and anything else used in the painting project. For oil based paints, you may need to use turpentine or mineral spirits to clean your tools.

Making sure that your work area is protected before the painting begins is very important to the project. Cleaning up after the task can be more challenging than painting, and can reduce the enjoyment of the finished product. You don’t want to spend more time cleaning the mess, than you did painting. Having the necessary tools and covering the areas that are not to be painted, will make clean up a breeze.